Questions
by Genius-626
Summary: Post Matrix-Pre Reloaded. Neo asks a lot of questions, and Trinity is always fine answering them. One day, he asks a rather interesting question. "Do people in Zion get married?" Some references to The Animatrix.


Updated: 9/20/12

**A/N: I originally published this in June 2011, and for those of you who have read this before, it has gone through some MAJOR changes. Like a few of my Matrix fics, I've decided to rewrite it by adding all around better structure and content without changing the main premise. So…enjoy the revision. **

Questions

"So it's true that no one knows how the war started? Or what year it is?" Neo asked Trinity.

"The exact year is hard to guess." Trinity replied. "We don't know any details about the beginning of the war. All we really know for sure is when the resistance started. There isn't much concrete information or documentation about anything from the world before the Matrix was created."

"Wait, then how do you know—" Neo began, stopping himself short.

Trinity picked up on his unspoken thought. "…That it was the humans who took out the sky?" Seeing the look on his face, she grinned. Sometimes, in his frenzy of asking questions, he would figure it out on his own. Other times, she could tell that he was just trying to strike up conversation to stave of the silence of the sewers. Though as time went on and their relationship grew stronger with each day, words became less and less necessary. Still, it was a comfort.

Her smile was infectious and he fought to keep from looking like a complete idiot. "I know, I know, stupid question. Of course we took out the sky, then the machines wouldn't have needed our body heat."

"There are no stupid questions, Neo." She said with a pinch of laughter in her voice.

"Yeah, just stupid answers."

At times like this, Trinity couldn't believe her luck; she couldn't believe how much one person could love another. How had she not known that peace like this could exist? Maybe it was unique, something only she and Neo had. But even if she had known, nothing could have prepared her for it. For any of it.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Trinity was thankful that she and Neo could relax like this in Zion, at least when they were alone. It was amazing to her; she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so comfortable around anyone before; so complete. Of course she had friends and comrades, forced to share small spaces and risk their lives together on a daily basis, but with Neo, it was different. Casual conversation sometimes seized their time together, a common and mundane thing for most people, but something so normal brought her a subtle happiness she knew she could never have without Neo.

For no particular reason—which was the best reason—Neo and Trinity were walking around parts of Zion that Neo had never visited. Neither felt like biding their time indoors, having made a day of it last night, so sightseeing seemed like the best option. Trinity didn't care much for walks, but knowing that Neo was still so fascinated with Zion; seeing his confined amazement for the architecture and machinery that made up humanities sanctum made her appreciate outings like this a little more. Besides, she was more than happy to teach him everything he wanted to learn about his new home.

The day before had been a tiring one. The Neb arrived home late that morning with three new citizens of Zion instead of their originally planned two, making the orientation meeting that much longer for Morpheus and Link, the rules stating that both Captain and a witness of the unplugging be present.

The attention the Neb was attracting was exactly the reason Morpheus had only hired Link as their new operator after their devastating losses. Records of freeing minds were being broken left and right, not only by the Neb, but by every crew of the fleet. Ever since Neo's freeing, there has been a boost of moral and a lack of agents. The Neb's reports were becoming more like legends among the Zionites, the attention as aggravating to some military officials as it was amusing to others. More and more young fleet cadets applied all the time, hoping to work alongside the One, which would cause for major distraction and discomfort for both Neo and Trinity. Additionally, the missions they had been undergoing recently were on a completely different level of professional because of Morpheus' small and elite crew. If he actually hired these cadets fresh from the academy that applied so often, they wouldn't live long. He was simply being responsible.

In Neo and Trinity's case—the pair seeking some solitude after a long trek home—the hold-up to enjoying their leave was just as time consuming, having been met by a number of people at their floor.

Though the numbers were small—twenty to thirty people at most—it was no less unsettling. This had started once Neo had been officially recognized by the Council as the One. The news spread like a virus, infecting the loyal worshippers and the previously neutral alike. It had only been a few of them last time—neither having a clue about how they found out he was living with Trinity, or how they knew where she lived for that matter. Nevertheless, when it had first started, it had been a shock to the two soldiers.

Each individual had either something to ask of Neo or had something to give him, wordlessly or with great verbal thanks. They asked Neo of various things, speaking with such solemnity that it was as if they were praying in the Temple instead of speaking directly to him. They asked him to watch over their children, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, loved ones—and his answer was always the same—never a confirmation, but always hopeful and modest. But not only did they ask things of him, they _gave_ things _to_ him. They wished him their best and gave offerings of food, clothing, trinkets, everything Zion had to offer.

This was something Neo never could have imagined happening. In the very beginning, when his only real world experience was living on the Neb with a handful of people, he had a minimal realization of his responsibility, mostly related to his seemingly boundless potential in bending the laws of the Matrix. When he first stepped foot in Zion, anonymous and free of the stares and whispers he received so often now, his idea of responsibility grew with his absorption of the size of Zion, _the last human city_. When he saw the Temples at both worshipping hours and at gatherings, it grew even more, the togetherness of this society complete and unmistakable.

But this, this was entirely out of prediction. He partly felt like he was lying to them, though both Trinity and Morpheus had advised him that it was no use to try and explain his mortality; that the mere thought of him protecting them and their loved ones was all they needed to remain strong in these hard times. Though he knew what peace he brought them, it didn't cure his unease on the subject—he feared he never would grow used to it. They worshipped him and believed him to be a god, which was definitely not true. If he were a god, he'd be able to do just what they wanted him to. He didn't know half of the people these worshippers had asked him to watch over, and he had no power in "watching over people." If the moment arose that he was sent into the Matrix to assist another crew, he would, but that was not his main focus. He did not give the orders and had no mind to do so; he followed Morpheus as a loyal member of a small crew and always would. He was only human, because if he were a god, the people he loved would not be in danger and the human race would already be free from the threat of machines. The truth of his uncertainties were invisible to all but Trinity, maybe even Morpheus, to an extent. He would fight agents, rescue resistance members and free minds, but that was not what would end the war, that was one of the only things we was certain of. His purpose was yet to be known to him, his questions yet to be answered, which made him anything but a god.

Some in the fleet didn't understand their plight, but had never and would never feel the pressure of the One. Trinity felt it too, being so close to him, which most overlooked. Most didn't see the stress he so possessed; most didn't know about the nightmares that kept him up at night. He was not perfect, but he was hers and she did her best to protect him. And because Neo was only human, time was of the essence in Zion, the Neb taking less and less shore leave than any other ship in the fleet. With everything happening so fast, both Neo and Trinity craved a time when they could simply be together for a day or two and forget that they were soldiers.

With all the attention he was getting, Neo was beginning to feel guilty, knowing that Trinity was just as uncomfortable with crowds at their door as he was. Trinity was what made him human, and every minute of their time spent outside of the Neb, he strived to please her; to give her peace and relaxation. One of his only joys in life was the fact that their love was so completely reciprocal. He wondered if people knew that; if the Zionites that held him so high above themselves knew that he was so in love and that that love was the one thing that made him so unique—that made him the One. If they could wholly grasp that, would they strip their supernatural beliefs in him away? Or hold him up higher? He would never know.

This being his third time in Zion, Neo still hadn't spent much time there. Every time they went somewhere new, it was as if his rank melted away from his body, an almost childish curiosity settling into his mind. With his lack of knowledge towards the culture and history of Zion, Neo never did run out of questions, many underestimating the fact that he had only been out of the Matrix for nearly three months.

"Trinity?" He said, bringing her away from her thoughts. They were now standing in the middle of a bridge, overlooking the depths of Zion's underground fortress. People here at least had somewhere to go, and not everyone was as obsessed with Neo to commit his face to memory, so passing glances were expected, but nothing like a confrontation ever interrupted them.

Trinity answered with her eyes, looking at him now instead of staring into the distance.

"Do you know how many Zion born there are here compared to people freed from the Matrix?"

Trinity thought a moment, unsure. "Definitely more than 80%, if I had to guess, but I couldn't give you a number."

There was a moment of peaceful silence between them before Neo spoke again. "You know the history that they teach in high school in the Matrix? Is that all made up?"

"We have no substantial evidence, but we believe it to be either true or partly true. Surface teams have reported ruins of monuments and buildings that were also in the Matrix, so we have reason to believe that they copied the real world, or at least part of it, and incorporated it into the Matrix."

"We have Surface teams?" his curious voice slid a notch higher in question.

She shook her head. "Not anymore. It's very dangerous and takes rigorous training, something Locke doesn't think is necessary anymore. In the beginning, they used to scout for metal and natural resources as well as information."

"Information?"

"Yeah, anything that could be crucial to our survival. They found out that most surrounding ecosystems were destroyed and wildlife consists of just insects now. More recently, they were doing research on sentient machines by capturing them and having them undergo tests in the construct." She swallowed, unable to imagine that kind of work. "They were disbanded maybe twenty years ago after their research failed to give us an edge, not to mention how many of them died in the process."

Neo took a moment to absorb the information, then tried to steer the conversation away from death. "Have you ever been to the surface?"

"No, not since I was freed."

Neo thought about this a moment, the image of Trinity as a teenager waking up in a pod entering his mind. A chill went up his spine before he continued. "Does it really look the way it does in the construct? Like a desert wasteland?"

"I'm sure it does. Or at least, that's how it used to look when that construct program was made. It was based on digital pictures the Surface teams collected."

"Wow." Neo said. "We have digital cameras here?"

The blunt change of subject made Trinity laugh, which made Neo feel a bit of pride, loving it when she laughed, the rare sight it was. "I'm being serious. The technology in the Matrix is nothing compared to the real world."

"Yeah." Trinity replied, still smiling slightly. She made a mental note to show Neo her camera when they got back to their apartment. "They do that on purpose to keep us in check."

"Hasn't really worked out for them, has it? Especially with _The Trinity_ wreaking havoc wherever she goes, driving people crazy before they even meet her." He said, jokingly. When Trinity had driven that poor detective out of his mind—though it was seriously his fault for trying to track her down—Neo had never let her see the end of it. He and Link found the situation quite hilarious.

"That was one time." She said defensively.

"Nope." He said, shaking his head. "There was one more."

Trinity eyed him suspiciously, appropriately curious. "And who would that be?"

"Thomas A. Anderson." He stated matter-of-factly, as if he were surprised she'd forgotten about him; as if he weren't talking about himself. He was obviously joking, but went on. "Poor guy was in a night club, already feeling completely out of place, and then you showed up and started talking about the Matrix…"

He came up closer to her, whispering into her ear, similar to how she'd done in the very club he was talking about, except here, one of his hands had made it to the small of her back, the other covering her hand on the rail. She was surprised, Neo was usually not this playful, or spiteful, whichever one was more relevant, but she dare not interrupt.

"Caught him completely off guard by knowing his alias, then by getting so close to him. Ever since then, you never really left his mind. Sometimes you'd put him completely at ease with a few reassuring words, then you'd light his insides on fire just by looking at him from across the room. He didn't know what to do because all he really knew was that he didn't have a chance in hell with you."

It took a moment for Trinity to absorb this odd confession. She'd never heard his side of the story and hadn't expected to. She reached up and kissed him lightly, not one for public displays of affection, but feeling this was all too appropriate. With this kiss, she told him that she'd wanted nothing more than to kiss him when they were in that club; to know what that felt like. When they separated, the look in Neo's eyes told her that he understood. He stepped back a little and leaned on the rail from behind, still looking at her, his hand still over hers.

After a moment, Neo looked curious again, but shyly so, looking away from her. She could tell he had another question, but was for some reason embarrassed to ask.

"What is it?" she asked him.

He looked up and found confidence. "Do people in Zion get married?"

Trinity was taken a little by surprise, but understood. Marriages weren't exactly common or wildly advertised in Zion.

"…Not like they do in the Matrix." She finally said. "In the Matrix, marriage is an economic benefit or a religious bond. In Zion, people don't really get 'married.' They can have ceremonies meant to celebrate a serious relationship, but not all couples have one. Most ceremonies are for people who were unplugged. They believe more in things like marriage then Zionites do."

"So," Neo was trying to understand correctly, "if someone proposed to their significant other here, they wouldn't be extremely thrilled, like in the Matrix?"

"A ring is a ring in Zion, nothing more. Most people don't believe in marriage because it doesn't matter here." Trinity said, more bluntly then she'd wanted to, staring out into the distance again. This question was bringing up memoires, one's of woman and men alike that had given their lives to the war. Throughout the years, couples would emerge from the fleet, having grown so close. Some had almost tragic stories, hating the fact that they had to leave a loved one behind in Zion, much like how Dozer had to leave his wife and kids when they left for the sewers. She remembered a conversation she'd had with Switch once on the topic of ceremonies, the bleach blond confessing that Apoc had asked, but that she didn't care for the idea. The fact that they both were killed within seconds of each other was no mistake, Cypher knew how close they were.

"Because the bond is all that matters, right?"

Neo's voice pulled Trinity away from her deep thoughts, though it took her a moment to process his statement. She nodded, thanking God that she was alive to feel this; to be with him.

"Like us." He continued, taking both of her hands in his. "We know we love each other, everyone knows it. It's just that simple."

She was yet again the one to kiss him, and he reacted in kind. They kissed sweetly and without too much lust, trying not to attract attention from passersby. Only a few times before and only when in public, Neo wondered if Trinity had had many boyfriends in the past. Jealousy was a foreign concept to both of them, even in the beginning stages of their relationship, Neo simply wondered how she became such a _damn_ good kisser…among other things.

He broke the kiss and whispered to her, his lips hovering just above her ear. "But if we did live in the Matrix, would you marry me?"

She smiled, a full smile, somehow knowing he would ask. She got closer and whispered in his ear. "Not a chance." She then pulled away from him completely and started to walk away, teasing him to the extreme.

"What?" he blurted out, highly amused, the smile unable to hide. "Why not?"

She kept walking and looked back. She didn't answer, but the look on her face said it all. He began to run, causing her to run from him in this impromptu game they've just invented.

They didn't know where they were going. All they knew is that they would get there together.

**Praise, flame and ignore the review box to your heart's content. Same old same old.**


End file.
